Never Assume
by Mightily Mousey
Summary: You should never make assumptions of what is unknown. Movieverse, "There Is" Series, prewar, Betaed by Okami Myrrhibis
1. Chapter One: Knocked Down

Title: Never Assume

Chapter: Chapter One: Knocked Down

Author: SBX

Series: The "There Is" Series

Characters: Ironhide, Maxium, Orion Pax

Pairings: none

Rating: PG

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero.

Summary: One should never make assumptions of what is unknown.

A/N: This writing during the slow moments of class and during breaks at work is killing my progress. Once again, this should not have taken me this long. Anyway, this fic is based off the prompt Ironhide/Megatron/assumptions.

* * *

_Ironhide has made many assumptions about many things in his time. Most of which turned out accurate. Those that didn't involve the most unpredictable students he ever taught, or ever would teach. Maxium and Orion never made anything easy._

_His first assumption was that they would be spoiled troublemakers who would whine and complain in the face of hard work._

_ooooo_

The younglings laid on there backs where their teacher had unceremoniously dumped them after their first unsuccessful attempt at beating him, groaning in pain. "Wow," Maxium gasped, "We suck."

Orion attempted to sit up, but winced before he could and flopped back on the ground. "Yeah, we do," he agreed. It didn't look like either of them were getting back on their feet without help.

Ironhide gave them a disgusted look before reaching down to haul them to their feet. What happened next he had to sit down and figure out later. The only clear warning he got was two triumphant grins before they grabbed hold of his arms and together pulled with such force that he went aft over heels.

His students rolled away and on to their feet as soon as he was flat on his back. "Fortunately," Orion grinned, "Our new teacher balances it out by being extremely gullible." Laughing, the younglings ran for their lives as their teacher's swearing followed them out of the room.

_ooooo_

_While they were certainly troublemakers, pulling pranks and doing everything in their power to make him blow a circuit, they were hardly spoiled or the type to complain in the face of their training._

_ooooo_

Maxium hit the ground and skidded with a loud scraping of metal on metal. He rolled to his feet firing at his assailant, frustration making the plasma pulses stronger than he had intended.

It hardly mattered, as his opponent danced around the shots with a speed and agility that was surprising for a mech of his size. The youngling fired anyway, grimly determined to hit his opponent at least once. Once would be all it would take to slow Ironhide down just enough.

Ironhide was puzzled by this relentlessness. Maxium usually thought his attacks out better than this, regardless of his natural impulsiveness. He had no more time to think on it when a seemingly stray shot ricocheted off a wall and struck him in, of all places, the aft.

Ironhide made a sound that was more shock than pain and rubbed the offended area gingerly, throwing the youngling a dirty look when he couldn't help but giggle. This was just the distraction they were waiting for.

Without making a sound Orion dropped from his hiding place a top of a large storage crate and land on the larger mech's back, looping his arms underneath his opponent's and then behind the head. Ironhide's arms were wrenched up where he could do no harm with his oversized cannons.

"Maxium," Orion called, "shoot him now!" They were just a few well placed shots away from victory. But Maxium heisted, worried that he would accidentally hit his partner. It was a hesitation they couldn't afford.

Ironhide took advantage of the indecisiveness, using his greater strength and size to break his captor's hold. He grabbed a hold of Orion's arm and with a heave threw him up and over his shoulder and at his partner.

The younglings gave startled cries as they went down in a heap, limbs getting hopelessly entangled. It was not one of their most dignified moments.

When they finally pulled themselves apart they looked up to find Ironhide's cannons pointed directly at their heads. As one they froze, optics going wide. For several astroseconds the tableau remained before Maxium broke it with a sigh. "Alright, you win," he muttered, giving their instructor a wry look.

Ironhide eased up, putting his cannons into standby. His students clamored to their feet, inadvertently giving the larger mech the opportunity to reach over and slap them both over the head, earning more startled noises.

He glared at them as they gazed back at him sullenly, nursing their abused craniums. "That was quite possibly the stupidest mistake you two have made yet. If you hesitate like that in real combat, you could die. What were you thinking, Maxium?" he ranted, looming over the younglings.

Orion gave his partner an annoyed look as well. Maxium slumped under the hostility, glaring at the ground as he muttered, "I didn't want to hit Orion."

Orion rolled his optics at that, but couldn't help but be touched by his friend's concern. Ironhide wasn't nearly as impressed. "Even if you had hit him he could have lived. If you don't shoot when the opportunity presents itself, you both die," he lectured.

Maxium hunched further. He already felt miserable; the soldier didn't have to rub it in. His partner gave him a thoughtful look, then glanced at Ironhide and smiled. "You've got to admit, though. It was a good idea," he chirped, trying to lighten the mood.

Ironhide was not above giving credit where credit was due and conceded this point. "You are getting better. Another few Vorns and you may be ready for active duty," he grudgingly admitted.

Maxium perked up at the compliment, grinning and bouncing on his feet. "So," he drawled out, mischief dancing in his optics, "Best two out of three?"

Ironhide snorted. "Gluttons for punishment, are ya'? Well, if you really want to be humiliated that badly." He shifted, readying himself for combat again. He smirked at the younglings. "You two have a ten astrosecond head start," he said, feeling generous. They didn't have to be told twice. In the blink of an optic they were gone, losing themselves in the maze of the training room.

_ooooo_

_No matter how many times he knocked them down, they got back up and tried again. It was surprising, but not unpleasantly so and slowly the younglings earned the soldier's respect and even some of his affection. He wouldn't admit it, though. Not yet._


	2. Chapter Two: Threatened Bodily Harm

Title: Never Assume

Chapter: Chapter Two: Threatened Bodily Harm

Author: SBX

Series: The "There Is" Series

Characters: Ironhide, Ratchet, Maxium, Orion Pax

Pairings: none

Rating: PG

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero.

Summary: One should never make assumptions of what is unknown.

A/N: And we get a look a Ratchet and Ironhide's dynamic. All hostility aside, they do have a certain amount of respect for each other

_The second assumption was that Ratchet would be so over-protective of his younglings that he would interfere with their training. On the contrary, he stood back with minimal protest. Or for what counted as minimal protest for the young medic anyway._

_ooooo_

Maxium squirmed as Ratchet made the last adjustments to the connections in his arms. "Maxium, I'd finish quicker if you would hold still," he grumbled, deliberately tugging on a wire with more force than necessary. Maxium held still after that.

Orion snickered at his partner's discomfort, having gone through the same process without a hitch or incurring their guardian's ire. He didn't, however, manage to avoid the thump on the head Ironhide gave him for his disrespect.

"First lesson, scraplings," the larger mech growled. "Never allow yourself to feel pleasure in another's pain. That leads down a dark path you'd do well to avoid."

"Yes, sir," the younglings chorused automatically. They'd known the soldier long enough now to never be disrespectful to him or any of their superiors in his presence. Ratchet looked irritated with the rough treatment, but kept quiet for now. He'd have his say in time. For now he had a job to finish.

"One last connection and…done," he announced, repositioning the armor on Maxium's shoulders and arms. The youngling rolled off the table and stumbled in his excitement. Orion caught him with a grin. "Graceful," he chirped. Maxium gave him a mock scowl and replied, "Mute it."

"Both of you mute it," Ratchet snapped, nearly reaching the end of his patience with them. "Run along to the firing range. Your new instructor will be along shortly to show you two how to use those weapons after I've had a few words with him."

They hesitated to do as they were told, but were out the door as soon as he narrowed his optics. They didn't think their guardian would ever seriously hurt them, but the fact that he could earned him a healthy amount of respect.

A respect that Ironhide hadn't yet acquired, but he'd learn. Oh, how he would learn.

The soldier turned to the medic with an impatient look. He fully expected a lecture on how the younglings were fragile and how he should be careful with them and not to push them too far.

What he got was a heavy, blunt object in faceplates. The medic swung so hard that the veteran soldier was lifted off his feet and flung across a lowered repair berth. Before he could regain his senses energon bonds snaked out of the berth and pulled his arms, legs, torso, and head tight against the berth.

Ironhide realized instantly that he was lying on a containment berth, designed with the purpose of subduing patients who were so processor damaged that they became a danger to themselves and those around them. They could hold Lord Galvatron indefinitely if it ever came to that. The soldier didn't stand a chance of escaping.

Ratchet approached him, his expression unreadable. He turned an arc welder in his hands almost absentmindedly, but Ironhide new better. There was a very clear threat in the action and suddenly he recalled a warning given to him by Glit just a few Orns ago.

"Watch out for Ratchet's temper," Glit cautioned, his expression very serious. "He usually abstains from outright violence, but he can be vicious when he's angered or feels threatened."

Ironhide gave him a skeptical look. "Certainly he couldn't be that dangerous." The chief medic gave him a grim smile in response. "I suppose you'll just have to see for yourself then.

And he was seeing for himself. Suddenly he knew what Glit had always hinted at for as long they had known each other. The knowledge and tools of a medic could be dangerous if abused. And he was at the mercy of a very upset young medic.

"I don't like this," Ratchet stated, his voice calm and composed and a far cry from his usual shouting. It sent a chill down the soldier's spinal plates, though he kept his composure. This medic barely out of his youngling vorns would not see him cower.

Undaunted by his captive's lack of reaction, Ratchet continued. "I don't like the thought of you teaching my younglings how kill other life forms, be it our own kind or another's. I don't like the thought of them putting their lives on the line at the behest of that lunatic Galvatron. However, Zero and Glit have made it very clear that I have no say in the matter. But I will say this…"

Here he activated the arc welder and brought it close enough to Ironhide's face that he could feel the heat but it wouldn't cause damage. The soldier tensed anyway, wanting to be as far away from the welder as possible. "I know that a certain amount of damage and injured is inevitable in combat training. I've come to accept that after your lessons with Maxium and Orion they'll be coming to me to look after these injuries. But if they are ever, _ever_ brought to me with serious or potentially fatal damage caused by you or by a situation that you could have easily prevented I'll strap you down to this berth again and take you apart piece by piece while you're still on-line. Is that understood?"

Ironhide found himself nodding cautiously, careful to avoid the arc welder. The look on the medics face was just too intense for him to not take him seriously. Ratchet nodded in response, satisfied for now. He backed away and turned towards the exit.

The soldier realized what he was going to do and made a noise of protest. "You're not going to just leave me here, are you," he asked incredulously. The medic paused just inside the doorframe and gave him a smirk.

"Glit will be here in a breem. He'll set you free." With that he was gone, leaving Ironhide to swear violently after him and fume. He glared at the ceiling for several astroseconds afterward, then suddenly grinned in amusement. "Interesting," he murmured, "I think I like him." He certainly had a healthy respect for the medic's temper now.

_ooooo_

_Ironhide managed to keep from incurring the medic's rage for the most part, but there were just some things that couldn't be avoided._

_ooooo_

Ratchet was already in a bad mood, having had to deal with some bureaucratic nonsense with the Council of behalf of his mentor. Though he was now a full-fledged medic, Glit still outranked him and therefore could still order him around.

When the med bay door swished open to admit three familiar footsteps, he didn't even look up. "Unless on of you is missing a limb, get out. I don't have the patience for you three right now," the medic snapped, cleaning his arc welder a little more roughly than he meant to.

"Um…," the hesitant voice of Orion broke through his haze of hostility, bringing with it a feeling of dread. Ratchet looked up slowly, and what he saw made him drop his tool in alarm.

Maxium. Missing his arm. Holding said arm in his other hand. The youngling didn't seem distressed by this. In fact, he looked extremely amused. He even went as far as to casually wave the detached limb at his guardian in greeting.

Orion, in an uncharacteristic show of temper, snatched the arm away form his partner and hit him in the head with it earning him a startle yelp. Ironhide looked uneasy, obviously wishing he were anywhere else but in the med bay awaiting one of Ratchet's infamous tantrums. Or worse, the fulfillment of the threat he made nearly a vorn ago.

Ratchet didn't lose his temper, however. He was very calm as he ordered Maxium to lay down on one of the repair berths, who did so with trepidation. A calm Ratchet was more unnerving than a raging Ratchet.

The medic patiently and quietly reattached the arm, his only words being curt orders for Maxium to hold still. Orion and Ironhide stayed near the door, nervous and unwilling to approach the strangely acting mech.

A couple joors later and the arm was back where it belonged and the younglings were allowed to leave. "Orion, take him back to you room and make him rest," Ratchet ordered coolly. Orion nodded frantically, and the younglings quickly made themselves scarce.

Ironhide tried to do the same but a command from Ratchet froze him in his steps. "You. Stay."

The medic went to cleaning his tools and work area and didn't acknowledge the soldier again until he was done. Once he was finished he gave Ironhide his undivided attention. Unfortunately.

"So," Ratchet said conversationally, "how exactly did this happen?" Ironhide shifted nervously, the memory of the medic's very serious threat still fresh in his processor.

"It was an accident, honestly. Kinda funny when you think about it," he chuckled without any real mirth. A look from Ratchet told him that his attempt to gloss over the matter wasn't appreciated.

"An accident." The demand for clarification went unsaid, but was heard nonetheless.

Ironhide shifted again. "Well, we were testing one of Wheeljack's new inventions…" A groan from the medic cut him off. "Let me guess," Ratchet grumbled, "it exploded.

The soldier snorted at that. "Fortunately, no. You see it shot buzz saws…" he started to speak again but was interrupted by a strangled sound of alarm.

"Buzz saws! What the slag is that idiot thinking?" Ratchet snapped. Ironhide simply shrugged. Maxium and Orion were the only ones who really understood the young inventor.

The medic gritted his dental plates in frustration. They were all conspiring to drive him fritzy. "Well," he growled, fighting to keep his temper under control, "If it didn't explode, what happened?"

"Well, it was mostly Maxium's fault anyway. He should know better than to stand behind targets like that…" The soldier rambled, trying to put off the inevitable. Ratchet wasn't having any of it.

As the overstressed medic reached for his arc welder Ironhide finally got the hint to get on with it before bodily harm became inevitable.

"All right, Orion shot at a target, it went straight through the target and then straight through Maxium's arm." The soldier crossed his arms and gave his inquisitor a look that dared him to put the blame on him.

Ratchet stared at him and blinked. "That's it," he exclaimed in amazement. At Ironhide's cautious node he snorted derisively. "Primus, the way you were acting I thought it was something worse than a case of incompetence."

Ironhide was still weary, even though it looked like he was going to get away home free. "So, I can go now?" he asked. Ratchet rolled his optics. "Yeah, sure, get lost. I have work to catch up on."

The soldier was almost out the door when the young medic caught his attention again. Ratchet gave him a intense, searching look before asking, "You the one that turned off the circulatory system and neuro-receptors for that area?" When Ironhide nodded he gave a small smile.

"Good work," he commented casually. "Now get out." Ironhide left the med bay feeling inexplicably pleased with himself.

_ooooo_

_The medic, irritable and, foul mouthed, had no respect for military protocols, and didn't take slag from anybody. He was loyal to those he cared about, dedicated to his chosen field, and loved his younglings with his entire spark. It was for all these reasons that Ironhide found himself wanting to seek a friendship with Ratchet. Maybe…even something deeper._


	3. Chapter Three: How to Apologize

Title: Never Assume

Chapter: Chapter Three: How to Apologize

Author: SBX

Series: The "There Is" Series

Characters: Ironhide, Maxium, Orion Pax

Pairings: none

Rating: PG

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero.

Summary: One should never make assumptions of what is unknown.

A/N: Ironhide gives Maxium relationship advice, so to speak. Primus help the poor kid.

_The final assumption was that the two younglings were absolutely inseparable and that they were incapable of ever disagreeing on anything._

_ooooo_

Ironhide made a habit of patrolling the halls of Iacon's Capitol building. It was his territory to protect as the second lieutenant of the Cybertronian Army and he took his responsibilities seriously.

Part of his responsibilities did not include checking up on the two younglings under his training during their recharge cycle, but it was something he did on instinct and didn't bother to fight. His younglings certainly had the ability to worm their way into a mech's spark.

The normal routine was to stop by their shared room, scan it to insure that they were recharging, then be on his way. It was the same every orn without fail. He was therefore surprised to find Maxium sitting outside the door to their room looking miserable.

Ironhide approached him cautiously, wondering if he should just turn around and go get Ratchet. While the soldier could give advice on fighting, shooting, and tactics and he could give pep talks if it came down to it, he did not know how to comfort a sad youngling.

Maxium glanced up at him, then looked back towards the ground, curling up more in his position leaning against the door, "Hey, 'Hide," he murmured.

Ironhide frowned at the unusually timid behavior from the normally rambunctious youngling. "Maxium, why aren't you in you room recharging? Ratchet will have your aft if he catches you up," he said sternly.

The youngling looked up again giving his teacher the most pitiful look possible. "I can't. Orion locked me out," he replied.

Ironhide turned his frown on the door, and by default the youngling in question. "You two had a fight?" he questioned, incredulous. Maxium and Orion didn't fight. They had differences of opinions, but they didn't fight. Not with each other.

Maxium hunched his shoulders, a slightly pained expression settling across his features. "It wasn't a fight. We didn't argue. Orion got mad at me for something I said. Then he got madder when I didn't know what he was mad about. He said, 'If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you.' Then he pushed me out and locked the door."

Ironhide nodded in understanding and made a mental note to ask Glit if Orion's original core programming was that of a femme's. He settled himself down against the wall opposite the youngling.

"Been there, believe me," he said knowingly. "I courted a femme once who not only threw me out of our apartment on a regular basis, she threw all my possessions out with me."

Maxium gave him a confused look. "But I'm not courting him, and he's not a femme," he protested, thankful for the last fact. His teacher's story only made him believe even more strongly that femmes were to be avoided at all costs.

His teacher gave him a sharp, searching look that made him squirm in his place. _'What did I say this time,' _he wondered in dismay.

Ironhide just watched him and came to the realization that they didn't know. Maxium and Orion didn't know that they were spark bonded. This…made things so much more complicated.

Seeing the worried look the youngling was giving him made him sigh. He'd have to talk with Zero about this. If the spark bond was supposed to be a secret, he needed to know that before he let the turbo-cat out of the bag.

In the mean time a distraction was in order. "You know," he said thoughtfully. "Courting someone and having a deep friendship aren't all that different."

Maxium looked skeptical. Understandably so, as the soldier had more or less pulled that out of his aft. He wasn't about to admit that, though.

"Don't give me that look, I'm serious," Ironhide grumbled. "Think about it. In courtship and in friendship you spend most of your time with another individual. You care deeply for them. And though you don't always get along with them, you'd still do anything for them if you could."

Maxium had the strangest look on his face when he was done. Ironhide couldn't quite identify the emotion behind it. There was silence for a few astroseconds before the youngling finally shared his opinion of this theory. "If that's true, then Orion and I might as well be bonded already."

Ironhide suppressed the urge to bang his head back against the wall as a mantra repeated over and over in his processor. _'Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh, don't…"_

His student didn't seem to notice his teacher's distress as he contemplated the idea more. "So if you've had experience with this sort of thing before, you'd know how to get Orion to forgive me," he exclaimed, giving his teacher a pleading look.

Ironhide took on the air of someone wise beyond his vorns. Which was in some matters true but in most not. "Well, when dealing with an upset partner, the best thing to do is apologize. Doesn't matter what the argument is about. Doesn't matter whose fault it was. Doesn't even matter if you know what it was you did wrong. You just always, always apologize first. Usually, they'll apologize too," he lectured.

Maxium regarded him thoughtfully, and before he could voice his opinions on this advice the door he leaned against slid open and he toppled backwards, his head impacting the ground at Orion's feet.

Orion glared at both of them with a coldness that he had to have picked up from Ratchet. "I hope you both know," he said, putting as much menace into the words as possible (_'Definitely taking lessons from Ratchet'_), "That the walls in this hall are thin enough for me to have heard everything you two just said."

The soldier met his student's gaze evenly, not the least bit intimidated. The youngling had nothing on the fearsome young medic. Maxium, however, cowed under the intense gaze. Orion didn't get mad often, but when he did he made it known.

Once Orion realized that his teacher was unmoved he turned his sole focus on his partner at his feet. "Well," he demanded, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Maxium shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, but seriously gave the question a thought. He also thought about Ironhide's advice and decided he really didn't have anything to lose.

He gave his partner a wide-opticed, pleading look. If he was going to sacrifice what was left of his dignity, he would at least go all out. "I'm so sorry for what I did, I'll never do it again, please forgive me," he begged, a slight whine in his voice.

Orion almost kept from smiling. Almost. He rolled his optics in exasperation. "You're impossible," he muttered, then louder, "Get off the ground and get in here. I'd like to actually get some recharge in before we have to meet Ratchet for our history lesson."

Maxium chirped ecstatically as he jumped to his feet, grabbed Orion by the arm to drag him to the berth they shared in order to save space in their room.

The door slid closed behind them leaving Ironhide alone out in the hall. Finally alone, he let himself have a good, long laugh.

He was, much to Ratchet and Glit's confusion, still laughing when he went to give them a report on the two younglings' progress.

_ooooo_

_It was the first of many disagreements that he had to mediate for them. It was also the last time he let himself make any assumptions about the younglings under his care. Assuming anything about them only gave him headaches when he was proven wrong._


End file.
